Arnold Shortman
Arnold Shortman is a fictional character created by Craig Bartlett. He has featured in claymation shorts and comics, but his main role has been the main protagonist of the Nickelodeon animated television series Hey Arnold!. He is a main character in LWTS and the father of the four kids. His head is shaped like a giant football, thus earning him the nickname "Football Head". Claymation Arnold was created in 1985 by Craig Bartlett, who was also responsible for the clay-animated Penny shorts on CBS's Pee-wee's Playhouse. The original Arnold was visualized as a rich, prep school kid with a vivid imagination, who always wore a prep-school uniform and his signature cap, and was rendered in clay in a series of shorts, one of them (Arnold Rides His Chair) was televised in 1991 on Sesame Street, and continued to air there, even after the Nick version debuted. Comics In 1991, the Hey Arnold comic stories, written and drawn by Bartlett (who's also a comic book artist), were published in Simpsons Illustrated magazine (Bartlett is the brother-in-law of Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons). TV Series The familiar, cel-animated Arnold came about in the mid-1990's when Nick picked up the new series. In the TV series, Arnold is a 4th grader who lives in a boarding house with his paternal grandparents, Phil and Gertrude. Apart from the animation style, Nick's Arnold now wears a sweater, with his plaid shirt untucked (often mistaken for a kilt). Only Arnold's beloved cap remained from the original wardrobe. He no longer wore a school uniform in the TV series because he attends a public school. LWTS Personality Arnold is an idealist who always sees the best in people despite how unkind, outlandish or sneaky they may be. "Football Head" as his peers and grandparents call him, often goes out of his way to help others even if it's not in his best interest to do so. Arnold resides in a boarding house called the Sunset Arms and goes to an elementary school simply named P.S. 118. Arnold's excellent upbringing is due to the way his paternal grandparents and boarding house residents raised him. He's a respectable young gentleman at home and at school with his peers and teachers. Jazz music is his favorite genre. He is a self-taught harmonica player and plays music a few times throughout Seasons 1 and 2. Arnold's bedroom is full of interesting technology: a remote control that commands everything in his room, a powerful computer and a collapsible couch. His entire ceiling comprises of an expansive skylight that includes a trapdoor where people on the roof can come in. Most of his room is blue since it his favorite color. Arnold is a natural athlete with impeccable baseball and football skills; he's often playing sports with his friends at Gerald Field. Arnold also has impressive skills in video editing as seen in the episode "Freeze Frame" and Hey Arnold!: The Movie. Though his religion is never explicitly mentioned on the show, it is implied that he belongs to the Roman Catholic faith in a comic titled "Comic/Arnold Eats His Dinner". He is involved in a prayer which includes a mention of the Holy Ghost (God). He is also seen attending church in "Arnold Escapes From Church." Name First Name Arnold was named after his mother's father. The name Arnold is of German origin that stands for "the eagle rules" or "strong as an eagle." Category:Templates